Sunday, 15 December 2013

BAN ON MANDELA PRAYERS ‘ILLEGAL’

About 30 armed police raided the Lutheran Church in
Manzini, Swaziland’s main business city, and stopped people attending a prayer
service to mark the life of Mandela.

The Swaziland
United Democratic Front (SUDF), which organised the service on Friday (13
December 2013), along with Swaziland Concerned Church Leaders Forum, said in a
statement. ‘The world must know that his majesty’s Government through the Royal
Swaziland Police (RSP) has illegally, unreasonably as well as unjustifiably
stopped Swazis from paying tribute to Mandela.’

Sidney Nyembe, of the Swaziland Concerned Church Leaders
Forum, said
the mourners were locked inside the church for allegedly defying an order
preventing the public from holding the service. But, he said, police were
unable to show documentation for the order.

He said, ‘We are alarmed at this wanton disregard for
human rights and failure to honour the memory of Nelson Mandela. We condemn
this in the most strongest of terms. It is an insult to what Nelson Mandela
stood for and clearly shows that the Swazi regime cannot hide its disgust for
anything resembling democracy.’

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan
Africa’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are banned by the Swazi
Constitution from taking part in elections and only 55 members of the kingdom’s
65-strong House of Assembly are selected by the king’s subjects. The king
appoints the other members. No members of the Swaziland Senate are elected by
the people. The king also chooses the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers and
the chief judges.

The church service continued outside the church with
police looking on.

Bishop AM Mnisi, was due to speak at the service. The
text of his sermon, later released on social media, read in part, ‘It is
painful to note that in many African countries today, there are still political
prisoners. Christian souls that languish in jail for simple reason that they
hold a different opinion. Security forces are deployed to block people and
refuse them their rights of worship freely. Mandela fought for human rights as
God’s given rights we ought to align ourselves with.’